I'm Courtney L., the breeder behind Sugarloaf Golden Retrievers (Formerly Vixena Golden Retrievers) located in Frederick, MD. I am not a large scale, commercial breeder. All of my puppies are raised in my home and are exposed to daily life and other pets. All of my goldens are AKC registered and have OFA clearances prior to being bred. I utilize Puppy Culture & Early Neurological Stimulation methods for the best start.
Q. & A. with Courtney
Why did you start breeding?
I never had any intention to do conformation or breed. However, that changed with Vixen.
She was a presence in the show ring with a fantastic personality and temperament. Wanting to preserve the breed and her lineage, the next step was to breed. I breed with a purpose, to produce top quality, healthy Goldens with good structure and great temperaments to be enjoyed by people and families.
What makes your program special?
My dogs are bred for health, temperament, intelligence and structural soundness. I do extensive health testing prior to breeding. I breed based on the breed standard to produce quality dogs, whether for conformation, performance or companionship. I want very best for my puppies--I get to know my buyers as best I can before a puppy goes home and will welcome a puppy/dog back, at any point.
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our puppies include golden and light golden. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.
Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home.
Matched dogs
These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.
Ruby
Went home
Female
Olive
Went home
Female
Ice
Went home
Male
Turtle
Went home
Female
Pretzel
Went home
Female
Orchid
Went home
Female
Cotton Candy
Went home
Female
Slime
Went home
Male
Moon
Went home
Male
Getting a puppy from Courtney
Courtney has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.
Together, you’ll choose the puppy that’s right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Price
Puppy prices include a $500 non-refundable deposit and between $3,000 - $3,500 final payment, before taxes & fees.
“The price includes the AKC registration, first vaccination(s) and deworming. Deposit in NON-REFUNDABLE at the time the puppies are born.”
Contract & health guarantee
Courtney may provide a written contract or
health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps
protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you
both have a clear understanding of the terms of your
puppy purchase. If Courtney offers a contract
or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them.
If you have any questions or want to know more,
don’t hesitate to reach out to Courtney directly.
Sugarloaf Golden Retrievers (Formerly Vixena Golden Retrievers) meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
Responsible breeding practices
Health of breeding dogs and puppies
Puppy environment and enrichment
Buyer education and policies
Parent dogs
Fame, mom
Golden Retriever
About Fame
Fame is a finished champion obtaining her championship at the tender age of 17 months! She has an exceptional loving and kind personality. Her favorite thing to do is to chase and retrieve balls. She'll even bring it back to you. She will snuggle and keep you company on the couch. She's great with children and loves everyone. If you have treats, you're her best friend!
Feather, mom
Golden Retriever
About Feather
Feather is gentle-natured, sweet, smart, fun-loving golden who loves belly rubs and cuddling. Her clearances current and certified by OFA. OFA has issued her a CHIC number. She has earned her CGC, TKN and BCAT titles.
Vixen, mom
Golden Retriever
About Vixen
Vixen is a female Golden Retriever. Carefully selected as a great representative of her breed, Courtney decided to make her part of their program. Courtney has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Parent health testing
Breeder-Reported Testing
Good level
Sugarloaf Golden Retrievers (Formerly Vixena Golden Retrievers) reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Golden Retrievers.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA)
Heart testing reduces the chance of passing down congenital heart disease, which can cause a range of symptoms ranging from trouble exercising to heart failure.
Brucellosis
A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.
OFA/CHIC DNA Repository
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).